The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The present disclosure is directed to an improved welding gun and welding system particularly adapted for use in gas metal arc welding which is commonly referred to in the industry as MIG (Metal Inert Gas) or GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding) type welding. Generally, with GMAW welding, an inert gas is directed through the front end of the welding gun to provide a surrounding layer or blanket of shielding gas to protect a molten welding puddle that is generated during the welding process. The inert gas is typically a combination of various gases such as argon or helium, among others.
As well known to those skilled in the art, a gas metal arc welding gun typically receives electrical current, a supply of a shielding gas, and a wire electrode via a power cable. The power cable further includes a coaxial gas hose and wire guide located within the gas hose. The supply of the electrical current, the shielding gas, and the electrode wire is controlled by a trigger on the welding gun. By properly holding the welding gun and manipulating the trigger, an electrical arc is created between the free end of the electrode and the workpiece, and the welding operation is shielded from atmospheric contamination by the supplied shielding gas.
In a typical MIG welding gun, a conductor tube is secured to the front end of a welding gun handle and generally functions to conduct both electrical current and shielding gas, and also provides a conduit for feeding welding wire from a supply device (e.g., wire feeder) to the end of the conductor tube. The welding wire is then fed through an assembly of consumable components that are secured to the end of the conductor tube, including a diffuser, a contact tip, and a nozzle. Generally, the diffuser distributes a shield gas within the nozzle and around the welding wire to provide a shielded weld zone, the contact tip guides the welding wire through to the weld zone and also conducts current to the welding wire, and the nozzle houses the consumable components, delivers the shielding gas, and shields the other consumable components from weld spatter. Operation of a typical MIG welding gun, by way of example, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,321 and 5,338,917, which are commonly owned with the present application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Typically, a welding cable carries welding current, shielding gas, and welding wire to the MIG gun handle, wherein the welding cable attaches to a front connector block within the MIG welding gun handle via a mechanical connection. A conductor tube then carries the welding current from the front connector block to the consumable components. The front connector block, for example, provides an additional unnecessary component and mechanical junction within the MIG welding gun. Unnecessary components within the MIG welding gun affect the complexity and cost of the design in addition to elevated heat distributions due to higher electrical resistance.